China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) ownership has continued to rise, with a total of 36.89 million units by the end of June. This accounts for 10.27 percent of the country’s total vehicle ownership of 359 million units, showing an increase from 8.9 percent at the end of 2024. The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) released this data, indicating a positive trend in the adoption of NEVs in China.
NEVs in China encompass battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell vehicles. As of June, BEVs comprised 25.54 million units, representing 69.23 percent of the total NEV ownership. This percentage is slightly lower than the 70.34 percent recorded at the end of 2024, suggesting a faster growth rate for PHEVs in the first half of the year.
In the first six months of 2025, there were 5.62 million new NEV registrations, marking a 27.86 percent year-on-year increase and constituting 44.97 percent of all new vehicle registrations in China. The country achieved the milestone of surpassing 10 million NEVs by the end of June 2022, followed by 20 million by the end of 2023, and exceeding 30 million by the end of 2024.
During the first half of 2025, China registered 12.5 million new vehicles, showing a slight 0.68 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Moreover, China boasts 101 cities with vehicle ownership exceeding 1 million units, with 45 cities surpassing 2 million units and 27 cities exceeding 3 million units. Major cities such as Chengdu, Beijing, and Chongqing have over 6 million vehicles each, while Suzhou, Zhengzhou, Shanghai, and Xi’an have over 5 million vehicles each.
The total number of motor vehicle drivers in China, including motorcycle drivers, reached 550 million by the end of June. Car drivers accounted for 93.68 percent of this total, with 515 million individuals holding car driver licenses. In the first half of 2025, China issued 12.58 million new driver’s licenses.
Shanghai stands out with NEV ownership reaching 1.51 million vehicles by the end of 2024, with pure electric vehicles constituting 71 percent of this total. The city’s commitment to electric vehicles highlights the ongoing shift towards sustainable transportation options in China.
